Sometimes I take my computer into our living room to write in our comfy chairs that look out onto our front lawn. The change of scenery sometimes helps my imagination kick in, or my resistance to let go, as I attempt to finish a chapter in a book or write the next blog.
Sometimes I can even intercept the mail person who continually insists on getting out of his truck and walking to the front porch to put the package in the water, instead of driving up to the covered back deck and putting it on a dry surface.
Sometimes I see neighbors in their yards or walking by, but most of the time I am watching the birds and squirrels. With four birdhouses, a birdbath, and a bird feeder that I can see without moving from the chair, the wildlife in the yard is always putting on a show.
Especially the birds. They are always so busy. Building nests, feeding babies, getting a quick drink of water between flying back and forth from feeder to tree, to house, to ground to tree. I love watching them poke their heads out of their houses, look around, and then head off to do whatever needs to be done.
But do they think of their lives that way?
Do they think about getting things done the way we do? They don’t have to-do lists, or project deadlines, or marketing goals to accomplish.
Or what about the squirrels? Besides continually trying to get seed from the bird feeder that has outwitted squirrels now for ten years, they are busy burying nuts, running up and down trees, and chasing each other across the yard playing what looks just like a game of tag.
Busy, busy. But they don’t have to do the dishes, mow the lawn, get the laundry done, or figure out why a computer program isn’t working well.
I think there is something nature doesn’t do, that we do that makes a difference.
Nature doesn’t worry.
It doesn’t ask the “what if worry” question. Here’s what that sounds like: What if this doesn’t work? What if they don’t like me? What if I don’t get done in time? What if my grades aren’t good? What if no one wants what I am selling? I could list “what if worries” for the rest of the day, but does worry help anything?
However, there is a “what if question” that works wonders.
It’s the “what if of imagination.” Instead of worry, we choose to imagine. What if I don’t get done in time, could turn into a what if imagination of how to make the work easier, or spread out the time. What if my grades aren’t good could become a what if imagination of how to improve my grades, or choose to do something else.
The “what if of imagination” tunes into the divine Intelligence of Life. It’s creative. It’s curious. It’s joyful.
Watching squirrels attempt to get into that feeder is watching what if imagination at work. Each generation of squirrels tries out new ways. Jump. Hang. Hang and jump. Leap. Balance. Swing off the rail. Just because none of these have worked so far doesn’t stop them. Every spring I cheer on the newest squirrel as he almost cracks the code.
I know, we aren’t birds or squirrels, nor do we want to be. They can be our teachers though. Reminders that worrying about worry is never going to change anything.
But imagination does. Without the “what if of imagination,” we would still be in the dark ages. Charles F. Kettering said that “Our imagination is the only limit to what we can hope to have in the future.”
The problem is, we are often so busy with our to-do lists, and the chores of keeping our lives running, that we often forget to be curious. To practice imagination. To consider it a skill worth practicing.
But it is the juice that keeps life fresh, and exciting, and full of possibilities. What if the time we spent worrying was spent imagining outside of what we already know?
I don’t think we can afford the what if worry anymore, if we ever could.
Richard P. Feynman said “What we need is imagination. We have to find a new view of the world.”
Yes, we do, and we can. Spend some time watching nature at work, and see if that helps you choose between worry and imagination. I know it helps me.
Want more help imagining, or reasons for giving it try? I have a copy of the Chapter on Imagination for you to read from Living In Grace, and to listen to (for free) here.
BECA LEWIS coaches, teaches, writes blogs and books, plays with art, and is addicted to reading. She lives in Ohio with her husband and has kids and grandkids scattered across the country.
